VOTE411 Voter Guide

NY Health Act Public owned renewable energy Public Education

There are several parts that need to work together and all will require street power to align with electoral power. 1. Create a Energy Department 2. Publicly owned energy. This will require owning the lines at the street 3. Opt In - Opt out policy enabling residents to install Solar and Wind (wind mills are not just those propellor blades). Opt Out and you pay the same rates. Opt In and you receive reduced rates. This also enables municipalities to group purchase reducing the costs per panel and can also use their borrowing capability to purchase at lowest interest rate. Communities employ local talent so the $$$ recycle in the local economy as many times as possible. 4. Communities with sewage treatment plants can add Renewable Natural Gas to their portfolio 5. Building code upgrades to require energy efficient insulation, windows, geo-thermal HVAC This plan would substantially reduce emissions, save citizens money and boost the local economy and I’m ready to get started on it.

This is going to require education. To quote Albert Einstein who defined common sense as "the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen". This suggests what people call common sense is merely a set of ingrained, unexamined beliefs rather than universal truths. True understanding requires questioning conventional wisdom.

I support cultural events such as ethics days that are rich in tradition, food and dance and the furtherance of Civil Rights.

This Common Sense piece is part of the ‘problem’ prevalent in all forms of humanity from religious to political to economics. Speaking truth to prejudice is a start. For example when going door to door and I hear bias epithets of different cultures, ethnicities or sexual orientation I have responded with the following with respect to color. “You know there is one thing and only one thing you can tell by the color of a persons skin - that is how long their ancestors were exposed to the sun.” Now you need to find out who that person is.

This is an indicator of how far the country has strayed from the constitution.

Grover Norquist first popularized in a 2001 interview with NPR, is: "I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub. He supports the Lewis Powell Memo of 1971 which became the basis of the conservative think tanks creating the 2 Santa Claus theory to dismantle Democratic power and destroy unions thereby forcing Democrats into austerity or political ruin.

This is going to require street power coupled with electoral power. If these two elements do not align, this trend will continue. This is work that is needed now and I am ready for it.

1. Putting working families first. Upstate rural families are working harder than ever, and they deserve policies that reflect their needs. I will focus on strengthening wages, workplace protections, and economic opportunities across the district. 2. Ensuring fair, transparent, and responsive government. Serving on the Planning Board, Zoning Board, and Board of Assessment Review has shown me how important fairness and transparency are to public trust. I will bring that same approach to Albany, making sure residents always know how and why decisions are made. 3. Supporting safe, healthy, and thriving communities. From my service in the fire department to my involvement in local government, I’ve seen firsthand what our towns need to stay strong. I will prioritize investments in public safety, infrastructure, and essential community services.

The most beneficial climate policies for New York are those that protect communities while keeping the economy strong. We need to modernize infrastructure to handle flooding, shoreline erosion, and severe storms...issues we see firsthand in upstate towns. Strengthening emergency response systems and investing in resilient public works will save lives and reduce long‑term costs. We should also expand clean‑energy initiatives that create stable, union jobs and lower long‑term energy costs for families. With my background in engineering and labor relations, I know we can grow the clean‑energy sector without leaving workers behind. Finally, we need targeted support for communities already experiencing climate impacts...from farmers facing unpredictable seasons to homeowners dealing with storm damage. Policies must be fair, accessible, and designed with input from the people most affected.

Social and racial justice requires policies that remove barriers and expand opportunity. I would support efforts to ensure fair housing, equitable school funding, and access to healthcare for all communities. As a former union president, I’ve seen how discrimination and unequal treatment can affect workers. I support strong labor protections, equal pay, and policies that expand pathways to good‑paying jobs. I also believe in strengthening community trust in public institutions by improving transparency, accountability, and representation. Every resident deserves to feel safe, respected, and heard.

Because the Court’s decision weakens federal safeguards, states must reinforce their own. New York can: 1) Expand and strengthen the New York Voting Rights Act, ensuring strong protections against vote dilution and discriminatory redistricting even when federal standards are weakened. 2) Codify clear, enforceable state‑level standards for fair districting that do not rely on federal Section 2 interpretations. 3) Require strong public‑input processes and transparency in map‑drawing to prevent discriminatory outcomes. This is especially important because Callais makes it harder to challenge discriminatory maps at the federal level.